No Day But Today
by The Kouga Lucius Connection
Summary: Ukitake, Shunsui and their team of theater friends are determined to put on the best revival of RENT in the history of Broadway. With the help of an orange haired subway guitarist and a raven haired part time stripper, they're going to try their best. AU
1. Subways and Strip Clubs

**Hey! I just had this thought yesterday since I noticed there isn't an abundant load of AU fanfictions in the bleach fandom. So, I'm going to try to get this one off the ground. I love Broadway and Bleach; so why not combine them? (did you know they made a bleach musical in japan? ah! scary!)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Bleach nor characters or plot from the musical RENT, which are owned by the Larson family.**

"Thank you everyone, that will be all for today."

Jushiro Ukitake sighed and lifted one pale, delicate hand to massage his now throbbing right temple as the faceless group of actors left the stage; this day had been nothing short of worthless. As a man of the arts, Ukitake appreciated anyone with dedication to the theater, but no one seemed to fit the bill he'd set for this production. Perhaps Shunsui was right: Ukitake's expectations were a bit high. But never in his life had Ukitake settled for anything less than excellence and this show would be no different; he would put on a revival production of _RENT _that would do the late Jonathan Larson proud.

Kyoraku Shunsui smiled faintly as his age old friend retook his seat, sighing heavily. Over the years, Ukitake had managed to retain his thin form, though Shunsui had a feeling this was directly related to his illness. Ukitake had been born with unfortunately weak lungs and, after three bouts with pneumonia in high school, he developed a cough that never seemed to end. It was seemingly undiagnosable, but Shunsui had a feeling the diagnosis wouldn't have pleased them anyway. Perhaps they didn't want to know.

Shunsui had known Ukitake since their days as boys and he knew exactly what his friend was feeling at all times. Currently, it was minor distress and agitation. Ukitake leaned back in his chair, magnificent white locks spilling over the back as he searched the theater ceiling with troubled charcoal eyes.

"I honestly didn't think it would be this hard, Shunsui."

Shunsui chuckled, his low voice nearly causing vibrations in the surrounding air. He ran a tan hand through his own curly brown hair, which he'd allowed to grow longer than most found quite acceptable. "You always say that. With every production."

"And I'm always exaggerating, but this time..." Ukitake trailed off, frowning indefinitely as he crossed his thin arms across his chest. "I just don't know. No one is right for RENT, none of them understand it. You can tell by the way they stand up there and throw out Bernadette Peters impersonations. RENT is like a musical untouched by the elitism of Broadway, but we can't exude that if the cast is full of..."

"Elitists?" Shunsui offered, mahogany eyes twinkling.

This managed to provoke a weary smile from Ukitake, who laughed rather dryly. "Exactly." He raised a hand to his mouth as a small series of coughs hit the air, a sound which Shunsui had grown used to but never truly accepted.

"I'm calling it a day, Ukitake. Let's go home."

The two men gathered there things and donned winter coats before exiting the theater, saying goodnight to the night crew as they arrived for cleaning. The ghostlight flickered on just as they left the building, entering the cold New York streets in time for a blast of cold air.

Shunsui narrowed his eyes as Ukitake pressed a hand to his chest, obviously in some discomfort from the cold. Winter was always a frightening time for both men, Ukitake from fear of illness and Shunsui from fear for Ukitake. "I know you dislike it, but we're taking the subway," Shunsui said mildly, using his usual casual tone with a slight edge. Ukitake knew there was no room for argument and he nodded briefly, walking the twenty some odd feet to the nearest subway entrance.

The world below was grimy, infested and dark, but Shunsui had always found something magical about the subway. He thought the idea of moving in a long car below the ground was fascinating, space age and unusual. Shunsui had always dearly loved the unusual.

"I know I'm hard to please, Shunsui; it must irritate you," Ukitake said apologetically as they walked down the stairs, finally shielded from the wind.

Shunsui shrugged his broad shoulders, replying, "I'm used to it by now, my friend. I'm a damn good producer, so I'll work with anything you bring me. Just remember, we're a team. And I'm not so easy to please these days either; must be the 'Age of Cynicism' finally getting to me."

Smiling fondly, Ukitake glanced over at his friend as they walked towards the 8 Avenue line platform. "And I'll direct anything your willing to produce, but at this rate, RENT isn't going to happen. No one has the edge; they're all just...broadway copies. No one's Bohemian anymore."

"I know what you mean," came Shunsui's pleasant reply. "Like with the part of Mimi for instance; did you see one girl on that stage comfortable with stripping? Or shooting up for that matter?"

Remembering the many girls they'd auditioned that day, most of whom were incredibly talented but not for RENT, Ukitake shook his head sadly. "No. And then there's Mark. He's hard to play; you can't force geekiness, I'm afraid."

"But we both know where the hardest role to fill is," Shunsui continued, shaking his brown head mournfully and consequently knocking loose a curl from his ponytail.

"Roger," the two men sighed simultaneously. And it was true; no one was gritty enough, rock enough, or dare they say, badass enough to play Roger. The men onstage during auditions were meant for roles like Jean Val Jean or The Phantom; they were classical broadway actors. None of them even scratched the surface of AIDS, suicidal lover's angst or raw, screaming passion. And without a Roger, RENT would just be another musical peddled to the masses. Neither Ukitake nor Shunsui could possibly have that.

Ukitake gave what seemed to be his umpteenth sigh for the day and glanced absently to the side when the strains of a guitar met his ears. He rather enjoyed subway performers, as he appreciated all forms of art, but they were few and far between these days. He preferred it that way, however; most of these people were true Bohemians, nearly the only ones left out there.

Blinking, Ukitake was startled to find a shock of bright orange hair awaiting his eyes as he found the source of the guitar music. A young man, maybe in his early twenties, was sitting against the wall beneath a 'home loan' advertisement, artfully bent around a beaten up guitar. His jeans were torn, his red shirt threadbare and his jacket patched, but what caught Ukitake's eyes most was his attitude. Simply the way he sat there, strumming his guitar with the wide open case before him, seemed to ooze gritty, rock hard badassity.

Shunsui paused as he noticed Ukitake lingering behind and he furrowed his brow, turning to address his friend. He opened his mouth to speak but paused when he found Ukitake preoccupied with an orange-haired subway performer, a ratty specimen of a boy, playing a nice rock melody on his accoustic guitar. Shunsui stepped back and joined his friend, standing there in front of the boy as he played, before a remarkable thing happened; the boy began to sing.

His voice wasn't particularly well trained, nor was it what a voice teacher would consider "of good tone," but it was just the way Ukitake had pictured the voice of a certain someone. It was husky and rough, but reached well in the higher octaves, as well as delivering an almost pleasantly wide vibrato along with the sound. The voice was undoubtedly the voice of Ukitake's Roger.

Shaking his head slightly, Shunsui smiled as he watched Ukitake's keen eyes focusing on the boy as though he were a piece of meat at the butcher shop. Knowing his friend as well as he did, Shunsui could safely bet on what Ukitake was thinking at that exact moment. As the boy's song came to an end, his suspicions were justified.

Ukitake said one word.

"Magnificent."

The boy glanced up from his guitar, seeming to notice the two men for the first time, and he gave a slight nod. "Thanks, glad ya like it."

Shunsui reached into his pocket and withdrew his wallet, tossing in a ten dollar bill; the boy looked worn and weary as it was and to have Ukitake staring at him so intensely without giving money seemed a bit unfair.

"That's quite a voice you have there," Shunsui said, trying to jumpstart Ukitake into achieving some sort of objective.

This seemed to jolt Ukitake out of his glory-induced trance and he shook his white head slightly, smiling down genuinely at the orange-haired guitar player. "It certainly is. It's unlike any voice I've ever heard. Remarkable."

The boy rubbed the back of his neck in minor embarrassment as a light pink stained his cheeks. "Eh, thanks a lot, I don't think s'anythin' that special."

"Oh but it is," Ukitake continued, crossing his arms casually. "In fact, I think I have a way that you could use your voice somewhere besides the subway."

Blinking, the guitar player's dark eyes searched Ukitake's smiling face and Shunsui's mildly amused one before he muttered, "Oh, yer some a those talent scouts, aincha? The ones that come down 'ere and sucker players outta their money. Well, I ain't interested."

"No, were not talent scouts," Shunsui said before Ukitake could rally in their defense. "We're theater guys, producer and director. See my friend here is desperate to put on a production of RENT, but the talent sea is growing dry. You're perfect for one of the parts."

At this, the boy let out a derisive laugh and began collecting the money littered in the bottom of his guitar case; it was nearing eight and he preferred to get out of the subway before 8:30; night life began early in New York and the weirdos began early with it. "That's a good one, theater. I think I'm doin' alright, but thanks fer the donation."

Knowing he meant the ten dollar bill, Shunsui nodded in recognition and watched as the guitarist pocketed the money before setting his guitar inside the case. Ukitake looked over at Shunsui, as though expecting him to stop the boy from leaving, but soon found that he was on his own.

"Wait, please. How much do you make in a day?" Ukitake asked, searching the boys face for an answer.

Shrugging, the orange haired musician hefted the case in his left hand and replied, "Hundred n' ten bucks on a good day. I'm doin' alright."

"You could make twice that every day in the theater, if you play your cards right," Ukitake responded, eyes probing and voice adopting a convincing lean.

The orange-haired guitarist felt as though he couldn't leave without saying goodbye, as it was rather rude, but he was getting itchy under the white haired man's stare. He hadn't seen such desperate eyes in a wealthy man in quite some time. Oh, he could tell that both men before him were doing alright in the fiscal department, especially the dark haired one; he didn't dress richly, but he was wearing a Rolex and a particularly nice ring on his left hand. He was obviously one of those reluctant millionaires.

But this did little to sway the boy, who only replied, "Nah, I'm fine bein' poor. Money ain't everything."

"See? You're perfect for RENT!" Ukitake exclaimed, delighted by the boy's Bohemain qualities.

"I don't think I am, but thanks fer the thought anyway. Nice meeting y-"

"You're right. It's not about money or fame or any of the those things; theater is about something else."

Both Ukitake and the boy turned to face Shunsui, who they'd expected the keep quiet after explaining Ukitake's motives. Smiling fondly as he thought of the theater, Shunsui ran one of his hands over his unshaved jaw and said distantly, "Theater is about achieving something deeper for yourself. Sure, you can earn the paycheck and go on your way, but every show stays with you. This all sucks. New York, America, the World, it sucks; there's hate and greed and deceit everywhere. You can't seem to find an honest man. But in the theater, you get up on that stage and you sing your heart out, dance your hardest, make people forget about how much everything sucks, and they leave with hope. Then you realize that, even with your sad little existence being pathetic and insignificant like it is, you've made a difference to someone somewhere and they're going to live a little bit happier. That's what it's really about."

The three men were silent as Shunsui continued with his distant smile and Ukitake stared slightly open mouthed at his old friend; it was rare that Shunsui said something deep and intellectual like that, but when he chose to connect on a stronger plane, he could be quite inspirational. The boy seemed struck but what the older man had said and his lips were parted, dark eyes wide as he stared at this "reluctant millionaire." Every single word he'd said was his own belief, of that the guitarist was sure. He was obviously _quite _reluctant because money seemed to mean little to him. Perhaps that's why he produced shows; to put money into something worthwhile.

"Making a difference?" the boy repeated, seemig to test the words on his tongue.

Sighing pleasantly, Ukitake murmured, "He's quite right. Sometimes you forget that when your dazzled by the business, but that's what it's about. If you have the talent, theater is a great place to utilize it because it makes a difference to so many people, not just yourself. RENT is an especially good show if you want to talk about making a difference; its about the AIDS epidemic and helping the poor man. Real issues."

After a brief silence, during which the orange haired boy stared down at his ratty Converses with a thoughtful look in his dark eyes, he looked up and met Ukitake's expectant gaze. "So you'd just want my voice? I wouldn't be dancin' like any of those chorus line girls in tights, right?"

Laughing, Ukitake replied reassuringly, "Not a stocking in sight, I swear. If you fit the part I'm imagining you in, you would barely even have to act either. He basically _is _you. A guitarist with a little bit of an edge to him. This would be great, anyway, we wouldn't have to fake the guitar parts, you could actually play them. What do you say?"

Seeming to consider this for a moment, the boy glanced over at Shunsui, who gave him a nod in return. Smirking slightly, the guitarist said warmly, "I'll give it a try."

"Excellent!" Ukitake exclaimed, clapping his hands together in excitement. Seeing the desperate look waning in his eyes did the musician before him good. "I'll give you our card. What's you name, by the way?"

"Kurosaki Ichigo," the boy replied as he glanced over the card just handed him, noticing the address to an office in Manhattan; so they _were _wealthy afterall. The card read "Jushiro Ukitake and Kyoraku Shunsui, Directing/Producing Team."

"I'm Ukitake and this is Shunsui; it's good to meet you, Ichigo," Ukitake said brightly, enflamed by the news of this boy's interest. "Auditions are tomorrow starting at 10 a.m at the Royal Wycoff Theater. We'll see you there."

Ichigo nodded slightly, smiling at both men. "Sure thing."

As the men parted ways and Ukitake and Shunsui hurried to catch their train, Shunsui glanced over at the wide smile now gracing the face of his long time best friend. He would have to say that making a sappy and somewhat clichéd speech about the theater was worth that smile, but he would never admit such a thing out loud. He survived to keep Ukitake smiling and Ukitake survived to keep Shunsui grounded. That was basically the way they worked and neither man would have it any other way.

Smiling blearily, Shunsui ran his finger absently over the edge of his beer top, glancing around as another ragged cheer went up. After depositing Ukitake in their shared apartment, Shunsui had decided to take a night on the town in one of his favorite clubs, Hardbodies. If the name was any indication, this particular club featured nightly performances by the famous group of Hardbody Dancers, who, unsurprisingly, wore absolutely no clothes and favored the pole if at all possible. Shunsui hummed a tune to himself as the alcohol began casting a haze over his mind; after long days of auditioning or rehearsing, he enjoyed a good night to himself, surrounded by naked women. It was a passion of his and Ukitake seemed to find it more amusing that abhoring. Of course Shunsui didn't pretend to know what Ukitake thought about _everything._

On a whim, Shunsui pulled a crumpled package from within his pocket and began searching for his lighter, which picked and chose its times to be available. The lights dimmed as another show began and, while the other men let loose wild and mildly drunken cheers, Shunsui murmured a curse; now he really wouldn't be able to find the lighter.

The trash-can beat melody of Rob Zombie's "Real Solution #9" began pumping from the speakers, sending a low vibration through the floor and chairs. As soon as the spotlights hit the stage, girls began to pour in from the back, where they'd obviously been waiting to make their debut. Shunsui was still searching hopelessly for his Zippo when his brown eyes caught sight of an unfamiliar face onstage. When a likewise intriguing set of motions caught his eye, he stopped his search and allowed his gaze to settle on this beautiful creature.

She was, without a doubt, the smallest of the dancers in both measurements and height, but the way she moved was intoxicating. The rhythym of her hips, the sensuous roll of her spine; every rock and grind was like a sweet smelling drug and the men cheered as she took center stage. Her Raven black hair, tossled and parted to the side, shimmered under the stage lights as she smiled sexily and reached for the strap of her red lace bra.

Shunsui had made it a habit of his to look into the face of every stripper, for he'd noticed that there were several different kinds. Some girls looked at ease, others uncomfortable, while some were even more mysterious still. This girl's facial expression was quite the paradigm for, though her red lips were curved in a smile, her grey eyes seemed to be crying tearlessly, as though she could find no more reason to breathe other than to dance. Shunsui was captured by this look and he continued to watch her, mouth closed and eyes halfhooded as was his fashion. Her bra was soon removed and tossed aside, landing in the lap of a lucky club goer, but Shunsui didn't even think to look down; her eyes were too intriguing.

Indeed, he felt no romantic or sexual attraction to this girl; the interest he felt was strictly on a business level. Smiling pleasantly, he stood as the song came to a close and the girls disappeared behind the barrier, leaving behind a roaring crowd of increasingly intoxicated men. Shunsui placed his hands in his coat pocket and began walking calmly towards the stage entrance, continuing to smile blithely as he encountered the familiar face of Ralph Minks, the owner of Hardbodies. _Ukitake isn't the only one willing to scout for this production, _he thought craftily as he approached Ralph, who's greasy black hair shone like metal in the light.

Ralph glanced up and grinned around his cigar, exclaiming, "Kyo fucking Shunsui. How are ya, my man?"

Shunsui indulgently shook the clubowner's hand, feeling the cold press of his many rings. "I'm doing alright, I suppose. A long day of auditioning, so you know where I always come."

Chuckling, Ralph gestured to the stagedoor. "Got yer eye on someone, Shunsui? You know the girls love you."

The taller man shrugged his shoulders, upsetting yet another brown curl from his ponytail; it only added to his handsomely unkempt appearance and his smirk seemed to grow a bit wider. "I saw someone who I'm interested in, yes."

"Well go on in, buddy, you know you're always welcome," Ralph continued, grinning in his eager-to-please manner. He opened the door for Shunsui, who nodded his thanks before disappearing inside the dressing room; men screened by Ralph were always allowed.

As naked female bodies scurried to and fro, looking for the right thong or the correct shade of eyeshadow, several voices called Shunsui's name and several winks were cast in his direction. He nodded in acknowledgement to each and every one as he continued down the line of mirrors, looking for the raven-haired beauty before he finally saw her sitting quietly in a chair before her vanity, staring blankly at her own reflection as she removed a pair of fake eyelashes.

Shunsui approached at a leisurely pace, as sneaking up on people happened to be Ukitake's specialty and not his. The girl blinked her magnificent grey eyes as she noticed the presence beside her and she turned, tattered white robe a startling contrast against her ink black hair. _She's the only girl in here with a cover on, _Shunsui mused.

"Can I help you?"

Her voice was deep but musical and made Shunsui think of roses for some reason. Her voice just seemed romantic in his mind, of course his tendency towards disassociation might have something to do with that. Smiling disarmingly, he replied, "Yes, actually you can." Reaching inside his pocket, he withdrew a business card from his wallet and handed it to the girl, who took it confusedly. "I'm Shunsui, a theater producer. This may be rather sudden, but I have the perfect part for you in a show my partner and I have just undertaken. If you're interested, we could talk about it over coffee."

The girl stared at the card in her hand as though it held the secret to life, eyes wide and lips slightly parted. Finally she looked up at Shunsui and asked skeptically, "Is this some kind of joke? Did someone put you up to this? Cause if you're talking about a musical or something, I'm not a singer."

Shrugging, Shunsui just continued to smile, brown eyes twinkling. "No one put me up to it, sweetheart, I'm just trying to take an opportunity as it presents itself. Trust me, I don't normally do this sort of thing, but there's not a dancer who's come to auditions and knows how to dance like you do. This isn't normal broadway tap dancing, see. This show is...a bit different."

Snorting, the small woman asked caustically, "What, a titty show? I've got all I can handle right here, thanks."

"No," Shunsui replied, voice faraway and whimsical. "I don't do that sort of show. This is Broadway, sweetheart. The real deal. I just came in here to unwind after a day of dead-end auditions, girls who tried to grind like Ethel Merman. But you've got it, that 'it' we producers and directors look for. And if you'll just take a chance on me, I'll even pay for the coffee. What do you say?"

This girl seemed to consider something for a moment before she said quietly, "Let me get dressed." She turned to retreive her clothes but, on an after thought, she said quietly, "My name is Rukia. Kuchiki Rukia."

Rukia escaped to a more private area where she shed her robe and dressed herself, returning promptly in jeans, a long sleeve black shirt and a tattered fur coat. Shunsui suspected it might've been a magnificent coat once upon a time, black mink it looked to be, but he made no comment on it. Based on the way she was clutching on to it for dear life as they exited the club, there was more past in that coat than Shunsui cared to know.

The two found quiet in a dark coffee club on the corner where the owner, another acquaintance of Shunsui's, agreed to let them talk over a latte as he cleaned up and closed the shop for the night.

As Rukia held the steaming coffee cup in her hands, she gave a slight laugh and murmured, "Getting backstage through Ralph and getting us into some coffee shop at midnight? You've got a lot of connections, don't you?"

Shunsui shrugged and leaned back against the booth, the green leather of which was torn in several places. He began picking at one of the tears as he responded almost amusedly, "I guess my work in theater got me more than just rent money. You meet a lot of people along the way." There was a brief silence between the two before Shunsui seemed to remember their original intention. "Speaking of rent money, the show is consequently called RENT."

Rukia's eyes flickered up so quickly that Shunsui thought she might've been startled out of a dream by his voice. She was staring at him so intensely, he wondered if she might be trying to light his hair aflame. Finally, she said, "RENT? The musical? 1996?"

The surprise must've been written on Shunsui's face, for Rukia seemed to pause and finally gave an embarrased laugh. "I'm sorry, it's just...my sister was in that musical once. She was an actress, a great actress until..." She trailed off, eyes becoming unfocused as a piece of wild raven hair escape the French twist she'd created before she left Hardbodies.

"Until what?" Shunsui probed, curiosity indefinitely piqued. If the girl knew the musical, this might be an even better match than he'd hoped.

Rukia swallowed, replying shakily, "Until she died two years ago. Throat cancer, very sudden, killed her in three weeks. But I still remember watching her in RENT when I was twelve. She played Mimi."

The breath seemed to escape Shunsui's mouth in a tired stream as he ran his hand over his mouth, eyes downcast. Giving a wry chuckle, he murmured, "Funny, that's the role I was scouting you for."

Rukia's eyes shot up once more from her untouched latte. "Really? Me?"

"You've got the look, if you let your hair grow out a few inches. And you've definitely got the body, not to mention the skill. I think you're the godsend Ukitake and I have been waiting for because, if you've seen the show, you know that-"

"It's not good without the right Mimi," Rukia whispered, nodding almost acceptingly. She smiled almost bitterly, tightening her grip on the mug and not seeming to notice as the glass burned her hands. "Right."

"It's a good opportunity. And I'm sure we could work around your job at Harbodies," Shunsui continued, noticing her change in demeanor but knowing he could break through it. "You'd be very good. You might even surprise yourself."

Rukia was quite for so long that Shunsui was worried he'd actually lost a discussion. Since long before most could remember, Shunsui had been a master at manipulating conversations and Ukitake often joked that, without Shunsui's golden tongue, neither of them would've made it in the business. While most thought about winning or losing arguments, Shunsui thought about winning and losing discussions; no matter which way you looked at the matter, every single verbal encounter ended with winners and losers. Shunsui was in the habit of winning.

This is why he was quite pleased when Rukia looked up and said, "If I do this, I can't take less than what I'm being paid at the club. I'm just trying to get through school, okay? I'm not really a stripper, I mean, I do it because it gets you a lot of money fast an-"

"It's okay, it's okay," Shunsui interrupted, holding up his large hands pasively. During her explanation, Rukia had grown rather red in the face and hurried to defend her position, but he hadn't even thought to argue; he was rather impressed, in fact. He said so. "I think anyone who's willing to work their way through school deserves a medal, no matter what they do for it. School is important."

Satisfied for the moment, Rukia leaned back against the booth and tried to relax her shoulders. Just the mention of Hardbodies made her angry; she was angry at herself for not being able to find a higher paying substitute. But maybe this was her chance.

"How much would I be paid? Daily?" Rukia asked, seeming embarrased to ask, as she found it rather rude.

However, Shunsui just smiled and replied, "Normally, you're not paid by the day, but I'm sure we can work something out. I'll look over your finances with you and figure out what our budget can accomodate as well; I was a finance major in college, anyway. I figure I should do something with that degree besides the books for our shows. You'll be making more than you made at Hardbodies, I guarantee that."

The light which erupted in Rukia's eyes was unmistakable and she leapt to her feet, startling not only Shunsui but the men cleaning up behind the counter. "I'll do it! I'll work hard for you, Mr. Shunsui, I promise!" Not only was the promised raise exciting, but the chance to follow in her beloved sister Hisana's footsteps as Mimi was almost too much to dream about. Maybe now, Rukia could finally feel like someone, like a great woman. Like her sister was.

"Shunsui is fine, Rukia," the man laughed, brown eyes twinkling at the excited girl. He was fond of her already, in an almost fatherly fashion, and he hoped the show would live up to her expectations. Based on her reaction, she was at least twenty times more excited than Ichigo had been. "You've already got my card," he said, standing to his feet and rolling his shoulders. "Auditions begin at 10 a.m sharp tomorrow, Royal Wycoff theater. Don't be late."

"I won't be, I promise!" Rukia continued to pledge, even as Shunsui smiled and bowed his head, turning to leave. "I won't let you down, Mr. Shunsui!"

Shunsui raised his hand in a farewell as he exited the shop, feeling rather invigorated by the chilly night air. He was certainly proud of himself and couldn't wait to tell Ukitake about his own scouting talents. _I bet Ichigo and Rukia will look good together on stage. I just hope we'll be able to take a bunch of non-actors and turn them into Broadway material. But with our team, I guess nothing's impossible."_

Yes, it was already a better night for Kyoraku Shunsui.

**I would like to own up to creating the word "badassity" for my own purposes. I think I'll use it in conversation now. But thanks for reading and reviews would be nice, but if you don't feel inspired, I'm not going to coerce you. Next chapter will be the auditions and first rehearsal, which my friends and I call "hearsal," as you can't rehearse something you haven't hearsed yet. So Thanks!**

**KOLU**


	2. A Huge Talent

**I won't keep you waiting...**

Ukitake sighed and leaned back against the chair, exchanging glances with Ichigo as though to say "do you see what we're up against?" The orange haired boy nodded slightly, eyebrows raised as he watched the skinny boy onstage belting "Give my Regards to Broadway" at the top of his lungs, face expressionless and limbs stiff. Ichigo didn't pretend to know about theater or musicals, but he did tend to pride himself on having moderately good taste.

Shunsui just chuckled as the auditioner finished with an impressive high A in the tenor range, breathing laboriously and staring expectantly down at the table of judges. "We'll call you," Shunsui answered the boy's unspoken question, nodding reassuringly before turning to face Rukia, who was on his left.

"I think I see your problem," Rukia muttered, grey eyes wide as though she'd just been pelted with a bucket of gumballs. This was even worse than she'd imagined.

Both Rukia and Ichigo had arrived promptly at ten for auditions, butterflies erupting in their stomachs. Ukitake and Shunsui had met them at the door, smiling and ushering them in with an air of reassurance that calmed the pair to some extent. Ukitake and Shunsui sat beside one another, with their respective scouted-actors to their right and left, and picked the first name off the list to demonstrate their abilities onstage. This just happened to be give-my-regards-to-broadway-man.

As the actor left the stage, face unreadable, Ichigo happened to lean back and catch sight of the raven haired girl he'd walked in with; she was sitting erect in her seat, watching the proceedings with her eyebrows raised. She was dressed conservatively in jeans and a black turtleneck, but Ichigo hadn't missed the frighteningly attractive curves where her hips and breasts were located. She had a soft quality about her face that made him rather hot around the neck, but this didn't stop him from looking at her.

Rukia felt a pair of eyes on the back of her head and she glanced at an angle over her shoulder, noticing Ichigo staring at her from down the row. He blinked when he found his own dark eyes met with her smoky grey ones and he blushed, leaning forward in his seat; how embarrassing.

"Uh, wow," Ichigo said to Ukitake, eyebrows raised as he tried to forget his moment with Rukia.

"It's been like this all week," Ukitake confessed, sighing and rubbing his pale forehead lamely. "We're running out of hope for obvious reasons."

In two short hours of auditioning, the theater had emptied out until only Ukitake, Shunsui, Rukia and Ichigo were sitting behind the judges table, staring at the lifeless stage. Shunsui chuckled in his ironic way, murmuring, "Oh dear, we've scared them all away."

"Excuse me!" 

The four friends glanced towards the door to the lobby where the voice had hailed from, exchanging glances at the excited tone. Hardly anyone on the stage yet that morning had seemed the least bit happy to be there. A girl soon came running inside, practically laughing with sheer joy as she smiled brightly and asked, "Are these auditions for RENT?" Ukitake nodded dumbly, looking the girl up and down.

She was slender and well built, normal if not for a rather large chest, with beautiful curtains of shining red hair cascading down her back. Her eyes were so honest, Ichigo wondered if she might be a missionary escaped from the church, here to evangelize the poor wayward show folk. She seemed, however, like she'd finally found the right place and she called, "It's here, everyone!"

"Everyone?" Rukia murmured confusedly, exchanging glances with Shunsui.

All unspoken questions were soon answered as, behind the redheaded girl, a group of no more than ten people arrived, all of them dressed in normal street clothes as opposed to the black unitards Ichigo had been making fun of all morning. They looked curiuosly around the theater, seeming pleased if anything, before turning expectantly to the table of judges.

"Are you here to audition?" Ukitake asked finally.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" the redhead exclaimed, stepping politely in front of her group. "We're all here to audition!"

Ukitake's eyes seemed roughly the size of dinner plates as he stared at the throng of newcomers, clearing his throat in attempts to find his voice. "All of you? Are you a theater troupe?"

The redhead blinked her large brown eyes before explaining quickly, "Oh, no! No, we're not a theater troupe, we're...well, we're not really anything. See, I was doing an audition rodeo and-"

"Wait a minute," Shunsui interrupted smoothly. "An audition rodeo?"

"Yes! It's a day where I go around to lots of auditions all over town! I call it a rodeo!"

The four judges exchanged glances and Rukia asked quietly, "Is that a real term or-"

"No."

"Go on," Ukitake said bewilderdly, raising his snow white eyebrows and catching Ichigo's confused shrug.

The redhead continued happily, "I was really excited about this one and I would tell all the people I talked to during auditions about it. A lot of them wanted to come so I told them to meet me here at noon and we would go together. So we did! And these are all the people I met in nine auditions this morning!"

There was a silence inside the theater, one born only of sheer confusion and wonder as Ukitake and Shunsui glanced haphazardly at one another. The group of rag tag actors behind the redhead were still looking expectantly at the judges table, a fact which made both Rukia and Ichigo distinctly uncomfortable. Eventually, Ukitake said almost dazedly, "Well, that's...wonderful! Yes, well, line up and go on stage one at a time. State your name and sing your piece; I suppose there's no point in filling out sheets at this point."

The redhead nodded and turned to the group of people behind her, saying something too quiet for the judges to here, before she turned and skipped merrily onto the stage. Ichigo, while a bit preocuppied with the strange goings on, still couldn't seem to shake Rukia's face from his mind. In light of this, he sighed and stood, touching Ukitake's shoulder lightly in reassurance as he hopped into the next row back and walked leisurely down the way until he was a bit behind Rukia.

Rukia glanced up as the orange haired boy from earlier came waltzing down the row behind her, smiling in a friendly manner. The girl had since noticed that he had a certain air about him, one which seemed to draw people; perhaps it was his amiable smile or his looks, but something about him just seemed...comfortable.

"Hey," he said casually, sticking out a hand to shake as he sat down. "We never got a chance to meet. I'm Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Kuchiki Rukia," she replied with a smile of her own, shaking his outstretched hand. She could feel callouses on his skin, most likely from playing the guitar, and she couldn't help but notice how small her hands was in his.

"You ever done this before?" he asked, resting his arms on the back of the chair in front of him.

"No," Rukia admitted, "Never."

"Me neither. At least we're first timers together," Ichigo said, smirking in a rather handsome way.

So that Ichigo might not notice her strawberry blush, Rukia turned to face forward and said as levelly as she could manage, "I wonder what these people are going to do."

The redhead on stage clasped her hands in front of her blue flowered skirt and said clearly, "I am Orihime Inoue and I'll be singing 'When You Come Home.'"

After taking a breath, not looking the least bit nervous, Rukia noticed, Orihime opened her mouth to sing. Ukitake had been expecting a sweet little voice, perhaps with a bit of an operatic feel to it, but he was quickly proved wrong as the girl's voice ripped through the theater. It was full, loud and well trained, with some of the most hauntingly beautiful vibrato that Shunsui or Ukitake had ever heard in their careers. It seemed that, no matter how sweet this little girl was, she could still belt to rival with the best of them.

Ichigo and Rukia shared similar expressions of confusion and perhaps fear, exchanging horrified glances; what was a voice like that doing in such a girl?

"That's amazing," Rukia murmured, unable to remove her grey eyes from Orihime as she sang away, undaunted by the audience.

"What the hell?" was all Ichigo could find to say, shaking his head in silent marvel.

Orihime's piece was quite short, maybe only two stanzas, and she stopped so abruptly that Ukitake almost fell back in his chair. She just stood there smiling almost expectantly, eyes shining, before Shunsui found his voice. "My god," was all he could say, but he eventually continued, "Well, that's some voice you have there. Why don't you sit on the right side of the auditorium until we're finished here."

Nodding bouncily, the redhead skipped off the stage and took a seat in the specified area, smile never fading. Ukitake looked rather helplessly over at his best friend, who shrugged his broad shoulders before calling, "Next."

Shunsui and Ukitake founds themselves nearly blinded by the talent before them as performer after performer graced their stage, singing with such finesse that Rukia and Ichigo were growing paler by the moment. Every single person had talent, drive and a pair of lungs which could make Bernadette Peters blush; Ukitake was floating on cloud nine as he watched all nine of the singers delight him one after the other. Some excelled at singing, though others still were fantastic dancers. Rukia and Ichigo exchanged glances as these newcomers pirouetted and fouetted in a spinning dance before them. It was practically a blur; Ichigo was beginning to realize that perhaps this was a futile battle, thinking he could break into Broadway at this stage in the game and still hold any cards.

As the last dancer, a handsome young man with oddly snow white hair, finished his routine, Ukitake gave a contented sigh and leaned back in his chair, glancing over at Shunsui with twinkling black eyes. "This is it, Shunsui. This is the show I've always wanted. I can tell."

Shunsui chuckled and blew out a stream of air as he flipped his pencil boredly onto his paper pad. "I'm still in shock. Maybe we can talk about this later."

"Is this unusual?" Rukia asked Shunsui, fiddling with her pale hands in her lap; this made her rather nervous, despite how wonderful it was.

Shunsui snorted. "I've never had a cast walk in all at one time and audition one after the other. I haven't seen talent like this in years and now its all in my theater. This is so unusual I can't even remember what 'usual' is."

"There wasn't even one dud in that whole group of guys," Ichigo marveled, crossing his arms sadly over his chest. "How do you pick?"

"I already have," Ukitake said with a grin, sliding a piece of paper down to Shunsui. "On that piece of paper is a list of eleven names. Rukia, Ichigo and the ones who just auditioned are on it. And every single one of them has a role that befits them."

Rukia and Ichigo read the list over Shunsui's shoulder, glancing up ever so often to match names to faces in the small group talking near the stage. Shunsui shook his head slowly, sliding the paper towards his friend once he'd finished perusing it. "Well, I can't argue with any of that. But we're still missing a Benny and we could use another dancer. Where do you suggest we find those?"

"I don't know," Ukitake said in a more sober fashion, closing his dark eyes and leaning back in his chair, white hair spilling over the back. "I don't know."

Shunsui watched his friend pondering silently, massaging his pale temples in a delicate manner, before the larger man stood and clapped his tan hands together. "If everyone could gather around the table, that would be great."

The group near the stage glanced up and exchanged glances before heading towards the judge's table, confused about the request. It was rare that actors were asked to join the judges at their table and even stranger still that they should be spoken to en masse. This entire audition was rather strange and blurred, as though there were no lines or boundaries. As the group of nine performers stood before the table, watching the placid brown haired man temple his fingers with a small smile on his stubbled face.

"Well, this may sound kind of unorthodox and maybe even unprofessional, but well done. Ukitake and I are quite impressed. I'm happy to say that none of you will be going hungry for the next few months because the lot of you made the cut. The only question is this; will you assume your positions?"

Several eyes widened and yet more glances were exchanged. The handsome boy with white hair murmured confusedly, "Wait. All of us? All nine of us have a part in your production? How many have you auditioned so far?"

"Six hundred and fourteen," came Ukitake's ironic voice from Shunsui's right. "And I don't want a one of them. Just you."

A brown eyed girl beside the handsome boy barely even whispered, "Us? You want us?"

"You," Ukitake reaffirmed.

Shunsui smiled faintly as the brown eyed girl glanced up at the boy beside her, as though looking for confirmation. The white haired boy just shrugged, disarrayed fringe overshadowing his questioning eyes. Finally, Orihime broke through the ranks and stood before Shunsui, eyes wide and hands clasped before her smiling face. "We...we made it?"

"Yes," Shunsui replied amusedly. "You did."

"That's fantastic!" Orihime exclaimed, turning to face the others with her arms thrown askew. "We made it!"

The group finally began to chuckle and then laugh, tension flowing from their fingers as they realized this was not a cruel joke, but a blessing in disguise. Many began to shake hands and hug as Rukia and Ichigo looked on, still stunned by this entire series of events. "This was a bad idea," Rukia muttered, shaking her dark head stiffly. "A really bad idea."

"M'startin' to think that myself," Ichigo replied in a likewise quiet tone. "I can't do what they did. No way."

"Me neither," Rukia replied, close to tears. "I'm not my sister. I'm just me."

Ichigo only glanced over at her, confused, but knowing better than to ask. It wasn't until Shunsui turned to them that the two onlookers remembered they were actually in the room with all of the brilliantly talented performers. "Everyone, meet Kurosaki Ichigo and Kuchiki Rukia, your Roger and Mimi."

Ichigo half expected someone to look down on them with disdain and snarl, "You're not real actors! You don't belong here! Get out!" But no one did.

Instead, the group smiled and some gave little waves, which somehow eased Ichigo's mind. "Hey," Ichigo said finally, shrugging and earning chuckles from the others.

After a moment of silence, Ichigo elbowed Rukia lightly in the side and she nearly yelped, "Hi!," turning to glare at Ichigo as more chuckles rang out.

"And your cast for the Royal Wycoff Theater's production of RENT is as follows," Shunsui said in a mock announcers voice, raising his hand to indicate each person in turn.

"In the role of Maureen, Ms. Orihime Inoue." The redhead gasped and practically beamed as those around her patted her on the back, whispering congratulations in her ear. "Maureen is the crazy lesbian singer who organizes and performs in the homeless rally. She is in love with..."

"Ms. Arisawa Tatsuki." Shunsui swung his hand around and it fell before a girl with wayward black hair, whose brown eyes were several shades darker than Orihime's. She was of medium height and strong build, as though she did her fair share of gym-time, and her hands were placed boredly in her pockets. She seemed as though she were going out of her mind with excitement but couldn't find it in herself to express it. When Orihime turned to address her new cast mate, smiling brilliantly, Tatsuki smiled in return and gave the girl a friendly wink. "Tatsuki will take the part of Joanne, Maureen's uptight lawyer girlfriend who interprets the law to her Bohemian friends."

"Mr. Madarame Ikkaku will be playing Collins, the gay ex-teacher who provides a soulful bass and loves Angel, his crossdressing boyfriend." Madarame Ikkaku grinned, a grin which seemed to melt the ice which lingered amongst the group. He was a tall, broad shouldered man with a completely bald head, though Ichigo noted that he couldn't picture the man with hair anyway. His arms were crossed over his equally broad chest as he continued to grin, brown eyes twinkling with mirth. Just the sight of this man made everyone feel warm and somehow safe.

"And his lover Angel will be played by Ayasegawa Yumichika," Shunsui continued, giving a nod to a thin man standing some three people away from Ikkaku. Yumichika was thin and obviously gay, as made obvious by his fingernail polish, glittering eyeshadow and unbelievably tight pants. His hair, a shimmering black blue, was silken and mesmerizing as he gave a delicate but excited smile, eyes glittering with happiness. He glanced over at Ikkaku and waved slightly, earning a deep chuckle from the bald man.

"Our Mark is...is everybody ready?" the cast nodded eagerly, wanting to know who'd received the main role. "Uryuu Ishida." The others follwed Shunsui's hand, which was gesturing to a thin boy with pale skin and dark blue hair. His face was rather pretty, if a word could be found for it, though his expression was incredibly severe. He wore glasses, which he adjusted under the scrutiny of the cast, and a pair of calculative dark blue eyes. He managed a small smile, which could barely be described as a smirk, when his name was called. He nodded to the others and they nodded curiously back.

"And our featured dancers will be Matsumoto Rangiku, Hitsugaya Toshiro, Hinamori Momo and Hisagi Shuhei." The dancers in question were comprised of a fit but buxom young woman with gorgeous features, the young boy with white hair and sea green eyes, the brown haired and kind looking girl beside him, and a muscled, tatooed man with a stoic face and grey blue hair. They all turned to one another and smile, the two men shaking hands as the women hugged.

"That's all for today, but we'll continue casting tomorrow. We're in need of another featured dancer and a Benny," Shunsui said to the group, handing the papers over to Ukitake, who gave them all bright smiles. "Congratulations to everyone. We'll reconvene tomorrow morning at 10 a.m sharp. See everyone then."

There was scattered applause as Shunsui smiled and reached down to grab his coat from the back of his chair. Ukitake did the same and they gathered the leftover papers, placing them in the bag as they followed the cast towards the door. Ukitake shook his head slightly. "I can't believe that just happened, Shunsui."

"You and me both," his friend replied with a deep chuckle.

"So much talent, and all of it right here in our theater. Is this a dream?"

"God, I hope not, or I just wasted quite a bit of my day."

**Hey guys, I'm really sorry for the long update, but I've had a lot of stuff going on and whatever. But here you go! I know this is improbable, but that's the great thing about fanfiction; it can be as improbable as I want to make it. Haha! Thanks to everyone who left a review; you light up my life!**

**KOLU**


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